


Two sides to every coin

by dev_chieftain



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-06
Updated: 2011-09-06
Packaged: 2017-10-23 12:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dev_chieftain/pseuds/dev_chieftain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake tells Kotetsu the story of how he received his prosthetic leg.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two sides to every coin

"Do you know how I got this leg?" Jake asked, in a wry and conversational tone, settling his weight on his metal foot, pressing it harder into the ruined breastplate of Kotetsu's armor. He made a show of lifting a hand to cup his ear, trying to hear some response, but aside from a plaintive wheeze and ragged, wet breathing, none came. "Do you want to know?"

He crouched low, exerting enough pressure to make the last of the catches snap. There was a pop, and the rest of the plate jabbed sharply against Kotetsu's chest. His head rolled, fingers twitching in reflexive response. More blood oozed from his body.

Jake laughed. "I'll tell you anyway." Reaching down, Jake hooked one finger in the hole he'd made in Kotetsu's helmet, pulling it around to stare down his conquest. Kotetsu didn't respond, his stare apathetic at best, precariously balanced on the edge of unconsciousness.

Against all odds, Kotetsu managed to mumble half-intelligibly, "Must've hurt."

"It did," Jake said jovially, easing up the pressure and sitting down beside Kotetsu with his legs crossed, albeit awkwardly. "I used to work as a merc, back in the old days. Kidnapping, extortion, bounty, sabotage, you name it. I had a special little trick I was particularly good at, mind you," and here he chuckled, while Kotetsu's eyes fluttered shut a moment and, after some seconds, sluggishly reopened. "But I liked to do it all.

"This was about twenty-five years ago. You would've been-- oh, preteen at best, I imagine. During a particular mission of sabotage, I got caught before I'd finished. NEXT haters." Jake's breath caught on a laugh, and he threw back his head, guffawing. "Ooh, what a vivid image! Really, why you're working for HeroTV is beyond me."

Kotetsu did not answer, blinking slowly and struggling just to keep breathing.

"Don't worry, by the way. We'll hang you up on Apollon's building in just a minute. Kriem wanted to make a few checks on the helicopter." Reaching out, Jake pat Kotetsu's armored shoulder with a smirk. "Anyway, these guys showed up in the middle of some very delicate work. I was concentrating, so they took me completely by surprise. And for that, I got shot in the leg. Lucky shot, really; I probably could've kept the leg if I'd had time to deal with it right then. Believe me, Kotetsu, you've never had to work hard until you've had to work through a broken limb. It was weeks before I could find my way to a doctor, so I had to amputate it."

Kotetsu stirred, faintly, trying to sit up before his body refused to listen to him any longer. "Gan...grene?"

"Yeah." Jake chuckled, his eyes faraway. "You never forget the smell of that. Cloying stink."

Huffing softly in the closest approximation he could manage to a laugh, Kotetsu shivered. "Why're you- why tell me--?"

"'Cause why not?" Jake answered with a melodramatic shrug. "'Cause you're bleeding out, moron. Ain't supposed to die. You piss me off, Kotetsu, but you're still a NEXT."

Brow furrowed, Kotetsu said nothing more, breathing shallowly, but regularly, and when Jake hefted him up with uncharacteristic gentleness, Kotetsu was almost grateful. Pain kept him from thanking Jake, a full-body, mind-numbing sort of pain. The helicopter's seating was too limited for Jake to set him down; they flew with Kotetsu cradled in Jake's lap, Jake and Kriem chattering away while Kotetsu's head spun.

It was only as they bound his wrists in chains, and began looping them over the open maw of the snarling winged lion that stood atop Apollon Media's building, that Kotetsu realized Jake had been calling him by name.

Then they let him drop from the helicopter, and between the screaming of his shoulders at being suddenly entrusted with his full weight and the jarring sensation of having his whole body tossed around, Kotetsu lost consciousness and ceased to care. 

  
 


End file.
